Ralph changed his opinion of Piggy from earlier in the book. He took a more superior air around Piggy but because of the growth in numbers of the group, Ralph changed his attitude. Piggy had tried to establish a friendship with Ralph and had confided in him the knowledge of his unwanted school nickname, “Piggy” and that he didn’t want to be called it. Later, Ralph told the entire group but it was in defence of Piggy from Jack who called Piggy “Fatty”. After this Ralph made wise decision to give Piggy a task he could complete easily and well, taking the name s of the other children. I think that Ralph saw that Piggy was “hurt and crushed” after he told everyone Piggy’s name and wanted to relieve the guilt by delegating Piggy a job. I think that Ralph, let alone the whole group did not need to know what Piggy’s name was in school and Piggy made a big mistake in telling Ralph his nickname even though he may have been trying to forge a friendship with Piggy.
Piggy had suggested that they would need to take names and Ralph dismissed the idea. However, later Ralph tells Piggy to do this very job and I think that Piggy’s continued suggestions made Ralph take notice and realise that although others didn’t see it, Piggy would be of use.
I feel sorry for Piggy because he is not made an outsider because of his actions towards the group but on everyone’s prejudgements of him because of his “short” and “very fat” exterior and because of this nobody takes his ideas seriously except for Ralph who claims them as his own, after all he didn’t tell anybody it was Piggy who told him to blow the conch.
The group definitely treat Piggy as an outsider once Jack arrives even the “littluns”. Then Ralph told them his “real name” and everybody laughed and teased just as Ralph had done earlier. Golding presents the group as “a closed circuit of sympathy with Piggy on the outside”
In conclusion I feel that Piggy is vital to the success of the group on the island. It was he who had the early ideas like taking names and blowing the conch and may have made a good chief, but his background, appearance and Jack’s treatment of him made him an outsider. Without Piggy, the rest of the group would have to find another scapegoat.